Recovery of the heart
by chloemcg
Summary: Rioichi and Henriette both try and get over the demise of Harumi (Rioichi's wife and an OC).


**Disclaimer: I do not own Rioichi Cooper or Henriette Cooper nor any other characters of this fanfic.**

**Recovery of the heart.**

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Rioichi Cooper sighed as the tickling behind his sore, bloodshot eyes announced another batch of forsaken tears as he wept over the loss of his beloved wife.

The Ninja master stared longingly at the candle that was inches away from his crossed legs as recalled the horrific events of that cursed night 3 moons ago although no time had passed for Rioichi as he meditated on that tragedy that took place. The male Raccoon never stopped meditating unless it was to care for the only thing he had to remember his wife, their child named Henriette.

The red panda Raccoon felt his tired eyes lay upon a melting candle as he tried to ignore the saddening image that constantly burned into the back of his mind as the cavern's darkness allowed him to be silhouetted against the pitch blackness of the caves he and his daughter lived in.

The death of his wife, Harumi, was beginning to take its toll on Rioichi since he found his teeth grinding against each other in anger and his limited rage burning out of control like the fires of a dark world beyond this one. His entire body tensing up; The Ninja master reached for his cane and quickly swept it towards the right as his narrowed eyes stuck to the candle right in front of him.

Rioichi watched as the top of the candle instantly detached itself from the rest of it's long body and fall into a melted mush of wax as this act driven by pure anger done its job.

Exiling a heavy sigh from his throat, the Ninja master buried his head in his hands as he silently sobbed before the candle light, each tear flowing freely down his cheeks and falling to the stone grounds like a lonely dew drop falling from the lightest of blades of grass after a terrible storm. The adult male Raccoon wept in his temporary home as he tried to ignore the memories of his wife's limp body and saddened dead-eyed look. Those disheartening memories made the usually calm Ninja master yell into the darkness of the caverns afar as he let all his anger out from that one raise of the voice that had been buried deep within in his throat ever since this had happened.

"Harumi...My poor Harumi..." Rioichi sobbed with fresh tears pouring from his tired eyeballs, his wise voice broken from the sheer memory of his wife's corpse.

but his anger dissipated as his ears twitched at the familiar cries coming from his only daughter.

Of course, the Ninja Master loved his child very much but Henriette was still in that critical stage of newborn infancy and this rewarded him with a few sleepless nights but he also had to care for his daughter's infected wound that was inflicted upon her by the very being who had been hunting the Cooper's for a centuries. Rioichi climbed slowly to his aching feet and walked deeper into the caverns to find the familiar package that consisted in a newborn Raccoon with grey fur whom was wrapped up in pink silk cloths, laying upon a somewhat peculiar stone that seemed to be the perfect place to put a distressed, ill infant raccoon down.

The place was brightened by a few ancient lanterns scattered around the flooring of the damp, darkened caverns that was temporarily their home and as Rioichi approached his wailing daughter; his heart melted in sympathy as he saw how pussy that eye looked on his beautiful daughter's tiny face. A deep, hideous wound streaked over the tiny kit's right eyelid and something that looked like a green broth oozed out from that tightly-closed eye and ran down her precious cheek like a tear.

The tiny being writhed and wailed in agony as her cheeks were tainted by a burning cherry red glow and this urged Rioichi to place the back of his hand on top of the tiny Raccoon's forehead and his ears flattened in concern as he felt her flourishing fever burn the skin to the back of his slim hand and despite the fact that she was burning hot, she was also shivering. Rioichi and he told himself "There is still that troubling fever that runs through her delicate system."

The adult Raccoon went to grab his satchel that he managed to swipe before his home was brutally evaded by the Shogun's armed forces and he began digging through its contents in search for a cloth or something. Rioichi never left his house without a first-aid kit but he was in a mess that night so he may have forgotten a few things. Yet, after about a minute of digging and rummaging, the adult Raccoon found no traces of any crucial cloths or such. Deciding to not want his daughter to suffer anymore with this illness; Rioichi extended his right arm forwards and tore off some of the white fabric of his sleeve and a lengthy amount.

The Japanese Raccoon prodigy wandered towards the back of the caverns a few meters from where his daughter was suffering, he knelt down before a small pond and dunked the newly acquired cloth before he squeezed it until all the drops of water was exiled from the limp object and cast back into the calm waters below him and he then stood up and retraced his steps so he could treat his daughter's high temperature.

As he stood over the tiny wailing Raccoon, Rioichi could see this frightened look inside her 'good eye' and it was disheartening to see one so young giving him such a sad look as Rioichi placed to soaked cloth upon the tiny kit's forehead and picked up the shuddering bundle and rested her tiny form in the crook of his left arm as he looked down at her.

He cradled Henriette's body against his own slender chest and tried to think of a way to get the sick newborn to sleep again. Despite the relaxing position, however, young Henrietta seemed to be refusing this close comforting hold as she tried to push away with all her feeble might but her illness made this impossible. The red furred Raccoon tried to sound comforting as he continued holding his defiant daughter close "Pace yourself, Henriette. You are in no shape to do anything other than rest." He knew that the young Raccoon couldn't understand a word he was telling her but Henriette wasn't appearing to calm herself anytime soon.

Sighing again, Rioichi tried to console his broken daughter who was clearly _very _aware of the desperate circumstances. Her broken-hearted painful cries opened up to the Master Ninja as he gently tried to console Henriette's troubled mind as he settled her over his shoulder and rubbed the back of her head as he removed some of the blanket swaddling her tiny form and exposed her tiny head as he stroked her and soothingly whispered "I know, Henriette. I know."

The grey-furred infant continued to cry with tears streaming down her small, sweet face as her underlying pain gradually got better and made her calm slightly but as the tiny Raccoon tried to be strong for when her mother returned, She knew that her mother would return one day...Right? Rioichi could sense the naive trust his daughter had for the impossible as he bounced his body slightly to calm his daughter.

As Rioichi looked back at his daughter's face, laying her on his knees to better cradle the newborn Raccoon, he saw the saddened look inside her big eyes and the sight was enough to smash Rioichi's heart into thousands of pieces. It was then that a memory had crossed his mind. He recalled the very evening his daughter was born and remember when he had walked in when Harumi was actually putting Henrietta down for a nap.

She was tired from delivery but she was still awake nonetheless as she held the bundle tight in her frail yet partly sturdy arms. The female adult raccoon hummed a soft melody to her young daughter as she laid in the futon and it sounded like honey to Rioichi's ears as he closed his rusty brown eyes and listened to the soft song of his wife's melodic lips.

Rioichi leaned against the door while this was taking place as a sweet, soft smile graced his lips at the sight of his small but happy family. Without even realizing it, a soft melody escaped Rioichi's lips as he stared down at the tiny Raccoon laying in his arms with the most compassionate of gazes that resided within his rusty brown pools.

Of course, the Ninja master never suspected that the Shogun would discover his home let alone his bloodline and heritage. Somehow Rohan Le Paradox, captain of the Shogun's regal army, had broke into his home and during this raid was the spell of his wife's fall. Rioichi had managed to save his daughter from suffering the same tragic fate but something whom had been hunting and slaughtering the Cooper family had revealed his ugly face and tried to murder him and his daughter.

While this may not have been so easy if it were Rioichi to be captured, it was a different story entirely for his daughter. The precious little girl would have been finished within one, sharp squeeze by the owl's talons but instead he had damaged her right eye and little Henriette was paying dearly for this injury right this second as the wound had quickly became infected and was severely harming her fragile health.

Rioichi couldn't think of many ways to calm his wailing daughter but as he continued humming her Harumi's lullaby, he saw the pained expression in Henriette's eyes gradually decrease as he held her tight and close in order to protect her from those who would harm her if anyone decided to come in all of a sudden. When Henrietta stopped crying, Rioichi pressed his nose lovingly against hers, placed a light kiss upon her tiny forehead and told her with a soft voice that made both her fears and his own dissipate instantly "Don't you fret, my dear little Henriette. I will always be there to protect you and love you no matter what."

Then the weather started being cruel when rain began to pelt the outside of the caverns and it made Henriette begin to whimper as the sudden noise began to startle her as the soft drizzle of rain evolved into harsh downpour as the wind started to pick up and allow its moist, damp air to enter the cave where the two Raccoon's sought out sanctuary.

Rioichi looked around carefully as he decided to stay by Henrietta's side until she at least fell asleep. He curled his thin, flexible body around her like a cat would on the soft carpet and made a coil in his tail that was big enough to contain Henriette's small size. Once the Ninja master put his cane to the side and made it lean against the wall, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep but before he did so he told his sleeping daughter with his wise voice eminent "There now, Henriette. Together we shall remind ourselves of Harumi and heal each other's broken hearts. I promise."

Before finally giving into the sleep he yearned for, the red furred Raccoon opened his eyes slightly and looked at the new born Raccoon with a tiny smile forming on his lips. This was the first time he smiled since his wife died and within moments; Rioichi felt his conscious slip away into a welcomed darkness.

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**A/N: Another one-shot between Rioichi and his daughter: Henriette! I couldn't resist and I thought it was a good idea to see what happened after the raid on his home. I hope that you all like this and please review. I love reviews! :)**

**-Chloemcg**


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